July 2014

This is my last remaining drip line irrigated vegetable bed.  It has just been prepared for a crop of Potatoes.  When the potatoes are harvested in February next year, part of it will be converted into another 2.7m Ecobed .

The bed was prepared as follows:-

• A cover crop of Vetch green manure was grown in the autumn.
• The Vetch was harvested by chopping it down to the ground, leaving the roots in the soil (to capture the nitrogen in the root nodules).
• The bed was dug to one spade depth.
• The Vetch foliage was shredded and scattered over the soil.
• A 60mm layer of home made compost was added (6 x 80 litre wheelbarrow loads).
• Then a 20mm layer of aged sheep manure was raked over the top (6 x 25 litre bags).
• Finally a 75mm layer of cane straw mulch was applied over the whole bed.

I am scheduled to sow potatoes in the second week of August (3 weeks).  By then, worm and microbial activity will have produced an ample supply of nutrients for the potatoes.